Heather to Robin: “But even the Romans had plumbing!” - Informational

Power Outages: So far in our flat the power has only gone out a few times. Lucky for me, most of these occasions have been while I was at work. This does not mean that the whole house goes dim, rather, the both air-conditioners and our outlet-based power stops. This means we’ve never been without light and ceiling fans, but from time to time it’s gotten quite sticky. At the office, I’ve been recording the number of outages each day. There were 11 on my first day, but they’ve since tapered off to 4-5. In this case, the computers are the only things that remain intact, and the lights and everything else drop. I find it a little relaxing to have the lights go out—especially because the sunlight is bright enough to light the whole office. I also think it is nice to have a break in the monotony.
No Water: The water in our flat works on three different systems: H’s bathroom, R’s bathroom and the kitchen. Apparently, our water is stored on top of the house on the “servant’s roof” in a large water tower. Increasingly, one system or another has been failing. I don’t mind this as much as Robin does; I have been drinking bottled water and I don’t sweat as much as he does so I don’t feel too icky if my shower doesn’t work on demand. Last week, however, we went on our first jog, I in “modest” full pants and a tee-shirt despite the 100 degree evening, only to return home, dripping in sweat, without any water to shower in. I thought it was pretty funny. So I took a bucket from the kitchen and gave myself a scrub in my shower anyway. I enjoyed it, but I also thought about how I take the plumbing for granted in the US. It’s crazy how basic needs like this can be so inconsistently served. For a good water story, read “Heather’s First Monsoon.”